Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss

Six: The Musical, the Tony Award–winning brainchild of Lucy Moss and Toby Marlow, was born out of the ­playwrights’ desire to see more women in meatier roles onstage. Instead of creating one sizable role for a woman, the playwrights came up with half a dozen—for a production that has become a global sensation. Their bombastic show centers on the six famous wives of King Henry VIII, who belt out their stories through song. The women are taking part in a singing competition to see which of them “was dealt the worst hand” in marrying the notorious King—and to choose which of them is the most important of their girl group. Former Queens like Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, and Jane Seymour are modeled after pop-music royalty, with homages to Beyoncé, Rihanna, Adele, and more. Six first opened in Edinburgh in 2017 and moved to London’s West End before eventually landing on Broadway in 2021. Moss and Marlow, who met as students at Cambridge University, have broken barriers in theater—their 2022 Tony win for Best Original Score makes Marlow the first nonbinary composer-­lyricist to win the award. All eyes are on the pair to see what they create next.

Write to Moises Mendez II at moises.mendez@time.com.